Combined saddle traversing and locking mechanism



W. T. SEARS COMBINED SADDLE TRAVERSING AND LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Apri1 8, 1922 accompanying drawing.

Patented .lluly 1, 19241.

WILLARD T. SEARS, OF MONTCLl-rlfi, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NILEF-S-BECMENT- POND COIVEQANY, OF YORK, N. K, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COMBINED SADDLE TRAVEESING- AND LOCKING :MECHANISM.

Application filed April 8, 1922. Serial No. 550,813.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, YVILLARD T. Sears, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Saddle Traversing and Locking Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined saddle traversing and locking mechanism and particularly to such a mechanism as applied to drilling machines.

In radial drills, such as that illustrated in the accompanying drawing, a horizontal arm supported on a vertical column is provided with a guideway on which is slidably mounted a drill spindle supporting saddle. Mechanism is ordinarily provided in connection with the saddle for traversing the same along the arm and for securing the same against such movement. It is the primary object of this invention to provide a combined saddle traversing and locking mechanism for performing these functions.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a mechanism of the type stated wherein a single handle provided on the saddle is adapted to either move the saddle along its supporting guideway or to secure the same against such movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the type stated including a rack and pinion and a hand wheel for 'rotating the. pinion to traverse the saddle, the hand Wheel being provided with a handle adapted to be used both as a hand wheel rotating means and as a means to operate the saddle locking mechanism.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consits in the features of construction and operation set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the In such drawing annexed hereto andforming a part of this specification, I have shown my invention as embodied in a radial drilling machine but it will be understood that the invention can be otherwise embodied and that the drawing is not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the inventiomthe claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Referring to the figures of the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a radial trated the invention in connection with a radial drilling machine of the type shown in my copendnig application, Serial No. 881,556 filed May 15, 1920. It should be understood therefore that the drawing is to be used for illustrative purposes only, the scope of the invention being defined by the claims appended hereto. For a more detailed description of the drilling machine illustrated, reference should be had to the aforesaid application.

Referring more specifically to the drawing by reference characters, 1 indicates the base of a radial drilling machine supported on a bed 2. Mounted on the base for movement about a vertical axis is a column 3. An arm 1 is vertically adjustably supported on the column and a saddle 5 carrying a drill spindle 6 is adjustable along supporting guideways on the arm. The arm extends through the column and supports a gear casing 7 and an electric motor 8 thereon at the opposite side of the column. From the motor 8 power is transmitted through gearing in the casing 7 to the main power shaft 9 extending longitudinally of the arm and thence to the spindle 6. The mechanism thus far described does not of itself constitute any part of the present invention.

For the purpose of traversing the saddle along the arm, I provide a rack and pinion mechanism as follows: A rack 10 is secured to the top of the arm and extends longitudinally therealong. The rack is engaged by a pinion 11 keyed to one end of a shaft 12 ex tending through the saddle. A disc-like element 13 is mounted on the shaft adjacent the pinion 11 and both the pinion and element are secured to the shaft by means of a nut. 14., the pinion being forced tightly against a shoulder 15 on the shaft.

The shaft 12 extends through the saddle to the front thereof and has means mounted thereon for operating the same. The front face of the saddle is provided with a conical depression 16 therein for receiving a conical element 17 mounted on the shaft. A spring 18 within a recess in the conical element normally holds such element in a loose position in the depression, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to l, I mount a hand wheel 19 on the shaft outside the v cone 17, the cone and hand wheel being splined to the shaft by means of a long key 20. A washer 21 and a nut 22 are provided for securing the hand wheel to the shaft. It will be obvious that rotation of the hand wheel will rotate the pinion and traverse the saddle along the arm. The hand wheel may be rotated by grasping the peripheral circular portion thereof or by means of a handle 23 pivoted to the hub of the hand Wheel at 24. In the position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4:, it will be noted that the hand hold portion 23 of the handle is adjacent the periphery of the hand wheel whereby the same conveniently serves as a rotating handle for the hand wheel. It should'be understood that the saddle can be conveniently and quickly traversed a substantial distance along the arm by grasping the handle23. However, if it is desired to'accurately adjust the saddle a very short distance, such operation can be more easily and accurately accomplished by grasping the hand wheel 19 with both hands.

I I The pivoted hub of'the handle 23 is eccentric in the form of two flattened portions 25 and 26. The portion 26 is more eccentric than the portion 25, i. e., is further from the pivot center 24 thereof. With the handlein the position illustrated in Fig. 2, the cone 17 is loose in its depression and is free to rotate, whereby the saddle may be traversed. When it is desired to clamp the saddle against movement, the handle is pushed to the position illustrated in Fig. 3 which action operates to separate the cone and hand wheel. This separating movement forces the cone into frictional engagement with the saddle in the depression 16 andforces the hand wheel outwardly. The frictional gripping of the cone in its depression prevents rotation thereof and therefore prevents rotation of the traversing pinion 11. Such action prevents any traversing movement of the saddle along the arm. Also the outward movement of the hand wheel moves the shaft therewith draws the element 13 into frictional engagement with the rack 10. operates to directly and frictionally bind the saddle against any traversing movement. Itshould be noted that the shape of the handle 23 is such as to permit free Such action movement thereof to the two extreme positions illustrated. In the position illustrated in Fig. 2, the handle is in position to be used as an operating handle for the hand wheel 19 and in the locking position illus trated in Fig. 3, the handle is entirely out of the way of the operator. It should furthermore be noted that the free end of the handle extends between a pair of radial braces 27 of the hand wheel, the handle engaging both such braces which give lateral support to the handle when the same is used for rotating the hand wheel. It should be understood that for ordinary quick traversing operations, the operator grasps the handle 28, such handle therefore serving both as the traversing element and the clamping element.

In Figs. 5 and 6, I have illustrated a modified form of my invention wherein the hand wheel has been entirely eliminated. In this construction the end 28 of the shaft 12 is flattened and such flattened portion is extended through a lilre-shaped opening in the cone element 17. A handle 29 is bifurcated and pivoted to the extremity of the flattened portion of the shaft as illustrated. The hub of this handle is made eccentric in a manner similar to that just described in reference to Figs. 1 to 4- of the drawing. In the position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 5, the cone 17 is loose in its depression and is free to rotate, whereby the operator may traverse the saddle by grasping the hand hold portion 30 of the handle. When it is desired to clamp the saddle against movement, the handle is pushed to the position illustrated in dot-and-dash lines, which action operates to force the cone into frietional engagement with the saddle and to draw the shaft outwardly in the manner heretofore described.

The mechanism comprising the invention not only provides a very convenient means for both traversing and locking the saddle relative to its support, but the saddle is doubly-locked, i. e. the frictional engage ment of the cone 17 secures the pinion '11 against rotation thereby preventing traversing of the carriage, and the outward movement of the hand wheel and shaft 12 "trictionally binds the element 13 against the rack 10 thereby directly preventing any, traversing movement of the carriage.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a support provided with a guideway thereon, a saddle slidably mounted on the guideway. and means on the saddle including a single handle for moving the saddle along the guideway and for clamping the saddle against such movement.

2. The combination of a support provided with a guideway thereon, a saddle slidably mounted on the guideway, a rack on the guideway, a pinion mounted on the saddle and engaging the rack, and hand operated means for rotating the pinion to move the saddle along the guideway, the said hand operated means also being optionally operative to clamp the saddle against movement.

3. The combination of a support provided with a guideway thereon, a saddle slidably mounted on the guideway, a rack on the guideway, a pinion mounted on the saddle and engaging the rack, and means 011 the saddle including a handle operatively connected to the pinion, the pinion being adapted to be rotated by the handle to move the saddle along its guideway and the saddle being adapted to be clamped against such movement by a movement of the handle in another direction.

4-. In a drilling machine, the combination of an arm, a saddle slidably mounted on the arm, means for moving the saddle along the arm, means for clamping the saddle against such movement, and a single handle on the saddle for operating both the said means.

5. In a drilling machine, the combination of an arm, a saddle slidably mounted on the arm, a rack on the arm, a pinion on the saddle engaging the rack, means on the saddle including a handle operatively connected to the pinion for rotating the same to move the saddle, and eccentric means operative by a movement of the handle in another direction to secure the saddle against movement.

6. In a drilling machine, the combination of an arm, a saddle slidably mounted on the arm, a rack on the arm, a pinion on the saddle engaging the rack, a hand wheel operatively connected to the pinion for rotating the same, and means including a handle on the hand wheel for securing the saddle against movement on the arm.

7. In a drilling machine, the combination of an arm, a saddle slidably mounted on the arm, a rack on the arm, a pinion on the saddle engaging the rack, a hand wheel operatively connected to the pinion, a handle for rotating the hand wheel, and means operated by a movement of the handle in a another direction to secure the saddle against of an arm, a saddle slidably mounted on the arm, a rack on the arm, a shaft extending through the saddle, a pinion on one end of the shaft engaging the rack, and means on the other end of the shaft for either rotating the shaft or moving the same longitudinally to respectively move the saddle along the arm or to clamp the same against such movement.

'9. In a drilling machine, the combination of an arm, a saddle slidably mounted on the arm, a rack on the arm, a shaft extending through the saddle, a pinion on one end of the shaft engaging the rack, an element on the shaft adjacent the pinion and overlapping the rack, and means on the other end of the shaft for either rotating the shaft or moving the same longitudinally to respectively rotate the pinion to move the saddle along the arm or to clamp the same against such movement by engaging the1 said element frictionally against the rac 10. In a drilling machine, the combination of an arm, a saddle slidably mounted on the arm, a rack on the arm, a shaft extending through the saddle, a pinion on one end of the shaft engaging the rack, a friction cone noni-rotatably mounted on the other end of the shaft and seating in a complemental depression in the saddle, and means on the shaft outside the cone for either rotating the shaft and pinion or for forcing the cone inwardly for securing the pinion against rotation.

11. In a drilling machine, the combination of an arm, a saddle slidably mounted on the arm, a rack on the arm, a shaft eX- tending through the saddle, a pinion on one end of the shaft engaging the rack, a friction cone non-rotatably mounted on the other end of the shaft and seating in a complemental depression in the saddle, a hand wheel on the shaft outside the cone for rotating the shaft and pinion, and an eccentric element on the hand wheel for engaging against the cone to move the cone inwardly and the shaft outwardly for securing the saddle against movement.

In testimony whereof, I hereto afiix my signature.

WILLARD T. SEARS. 

